ZUMBROTA, Minn. (WCCO) — A farmer south of the cities is hoping you’ll make his place a new fall tradition. He has a maze made out of a hemp field, about an hour south of the cities in Zumbrota. The owner tells WCCO he is using the attraction for education.
Ted Galaty is the owner and operator of Hemp Maze Minnesota. The maze is located at Willow’s Keep Farm just south of Zumbrota on Highway 5.
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“Industrial hemp is usually grown for its food, its fiber or it’s grown for the medicinal side of it,” Galaty said. “Not to get people high.”
A science major at St. Olaf, Galaty never thought he’d be a cannabis aficionado. The west coast native made a deal with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to create this one of a kind hemp maze.
“As far as I know it’s the only hemp maze in Minnesota and probably in the United States,” he said.
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The hemp maze is 2 acres, takes about 20 minutes to get through and Galaty insists its kid-friendly. He says it’s all about education – his plants and are not used for recreational purposes, but functional ones.
“It’s a multi-purpose plant,” he said. “It can feed you, it can shelter you, it can clothe you and it can heal you.”
A message that’s spreading fast — his business is booming. Labor Day was the busiest weekend yet, as more people understand this plant’s roots.
“It was really about informing people and educating them, so that when they leave, they’re more educated and they understand and there’s not this stigma, this fear about the plant,” he said. “It’s a plant we need to be communing with and actually growing on our farms in Minnesota.”
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The maze and cannabis product store are open seven days a week. The maze is $6 per person.